Narragansett herald., November 02, 1895, Image 2

About Narragansett herald. (Narragansett Pier, R.I.) 1877-1???

Image provided by: Rhode Island Digital Newspaper Project

                
The Humble Life.
Three rows diverging, wend their several
WaLrs,
Adong the first
'Phe giad notes burst
Io wpiendor through the long bright days.
The pathway's name
1s Fame,
Along the second splenlil ~isties rise
Before the wondering eyes,
Wealth in this pathway lies.
Along the third are common flowers,
And e~ hum through unchanging hours.
Yet c.oner seen the flowers have the fairest
hue, 4
The wkie< above are brightest blue.
This the way
Called “Every day.”
—R. B. SaeLroy in Boston Budget.
’ ———— et
A STRANGE WARNING.
Mr. Grosvenor had asked Howard,
who was the son of an oid friend, and
reyself, to stay at Cullingham for a
few weeks and pursue our literary avo
eation, in which we collaborated.
He made no favor of it. **Oanly too
glad, to see yvou,” he sail. **We are
very lonely, and there is little to do;
po birds in the covers, for I can’t
afford a game keeper, but if you wau't
to work, the place is quict enough, 1
shai! not be at home for a day or two,
as | am going to town, and shall pick
out my danghter from a friegl’s
house on my way back, but William
krowse the place, and ean show you
‘all there is to see.”
Howard condneted me to my bed
roomw the first night.
“1 say,” be said, ““there is a ecuri
«ur po.nt about your room—of course
vou «on'i know the rambling old place
vei—vou ean walk around yonr bed
room.
4} eourse I ean, vou erock,” 1
re rved. “I ean walk around any
roomn.
““u, but T mean on the outside.
Yo vee, this room is in the middle of
the nonse, between four intersecting
corr dors, so that you can walk righg
aroid the four walls,”
T here was nothing else remarkable
abont my room. It was comfortably
furnisboed. Against the wall opposite
wy bed, and nearly under the sky
hig 1, stood a large sofa, which seemed
an onusnal piece of farniture for ,
bedroom. It was too big to go through
tue door, and I was inelined to think
that 1t must have been lowered iunto
the room by a derrick before the roof
was put on.
i tarned Into bed, but found 1t im
possible to sicep. A strange bed al
wars weans several wakeful hours to
me, and I lay with my eves closed,
listening to the odd stable cloek as it
savagcly elanged ont its quarters, and
praclsed every effort of mechanienl
repetition that seemed likely tosoothe
wmv res:less brain.
At length I gave up the attempt to
sleep 1u despair and lay on my back
wide awake,
I began to picture to myself the
most norrible phantoms I counld im
agive, to sce if I could make myself
nervous or frightened. 1 thought of
figures with rolling eves and gibber
ing lips, phantoms that earried their
hesds under their arms, shadowy,
foruiless objeets of mist, but all to no
purpose. My ghosts were feeble
fra is. I eould not invest them with
the numeless dread, and I langhed at
ther,
I must bave fallen asleep as I was
thus meditating, for when I next
awe v the moon was high in the
Lesvions and shone brightly thronghb
the suviight into my room. My eves
at ouee fell on the face of 1 beantiful
vonng woman who was arrang.ng her
hiwir at & mirror that stood on a tabie
which seemad to me to have not been
iu the room when 1 retired. I was
sbont to utter an exclamation when a
look of terror eame luto her face, a
ferror so inteuse as to freeze me into
un-peakable silence. Suhe scemed to
be listening to a noise without., In
the next strained moment the fizure
vanshed. =
As 1 was turning over to sleep
aga'n I heard a light footstep in the
corridor at the head of mv bed. It
passed niong the wa!l and was followed
bv & heavier vet a stealthv tread. By
this time my faenities were fuliy
aronsed, and sitting ap I listened in-
‘c'D-‘;_\'.
Soddenly the first footsteps broke
mto a rapid pattering as though in
flicht, and the pursner’'s heavier
tread was correspondingly weceler
ate . Twice they sped zronnd my
chamber, and as they passed aiong
the corridor nearest to my ied 1
tho . ght that I conld hear their paut
iy breatns.
At the tiird round mv bedroom
door flew open, and the voung ladv 1
Lud seen before dashed inaud dropped
cexnansted npon the sofa. She was
howed by a man dressed iu black,
W s
exrried & marderons-‘ooking
bovie im his vand, She looked at him
Captoriegly ws he stood over her for a
pis osul, bot spoke wever a word,
Lo that mowment of time 1 could see
therr fuces with great clearness in the
moonlight, and have never forgotten
them. The girl was fair, with long
Lair streaming down her shoulders,
sud her lovely face was coutracted
with mortal terror. The man was of
me llum height, with a low forehead,
a dark mnustache and an expression
that reminded me grotesquely enough
of the trademark upon the ““Demon™
tennis rackets,
I was sumwmoning up courage to
spring out of bed when the man
raised the hand that grasped the knife.
I saw the weapou uplifted above his
bead. Isaw the girl throw up her
bauds is despair, and then a thick
clond pussed over the moon and
placed my chamber in total darkness.
The vext point in my memory fol
lowing that awful scene was a loud
hammmering upon my door and Wil
liam Howard’'s cheerfal voice de
manding to know if I intended to
sleep all day. It was 9 o'cloek upon
a clear October morning, and my bed
room looked as commonplace in the
daylight as though it had beeu situat
ed in a London hotel. I must con
fess that I exsmined the sofa, but
fonzd no traces of disturbance,and I
dressed feeling ashamed of myself for
being frightened at an ordinary night
mare. A trashy ghost story of How
ard’s, a walk around the corner by
candle light and an uncomfortable bed
were materials enough to furnish
twenty similar dreams, and I went
down to breakfast resolved to say
nothing of my experience.
During the morning we attempted
to work at our novel, but Howard was
fidgety and restless, with the result
that we accomplished very little.
Aiter lunch we ordered a trap from
the village inn to feteh Mr. Grosven
or’s Inggage from thestation and went
there to meet the train.
Mr. Grosvenor was too poor to
keep a earriage, his income being lim
ited to the revenue from one or two
farms and bis large gurdea. The sta
tion, however, was but half a mile dis
tunt, and the day being fine weshould
have preferred to walk, even bad we
Leen able to ride.
The traiu eame in,and Mr. Grosven
or shook hands with ns and introdneed
me to his danghter. Upon looking
her in the face, I was astonisbed to
see the exact counterpart of the dream
giri who had rushed into my bed
room.
Miss Grosvenor, who was very pret
ty and vivacious, rallied me during the
evening npon my low spirits,. I was
wondering if there has been anything
more than coincidence in my vision,to
which her appearance had given a
strong nir of reality. At all event
the murderer did not seem to have a
place in this little drama,and I deter
mined for the present to hold my
tongue.
Of our stay I need say nothing ex- l
Lept that Howard fell deeply in love
with our Lost’s daughter, but feared
to spenk.
~ “Too poor,” he said, hopelessly.
““Girosvenor will want a son-in-law
able to lift the old honse np a bit.” 1
: * * * * *
~ Two years later I came home on
leave from India, in which country I }
i bad obtained an important post, and {
reinnined for a few dayvs in town to
l repienish my wardrobe before paying
o few rounds of visits, 1
~ As I was walking down Piceadilly
one morning I felt a slap ou my shoul- |
der, and turning fouud myself face to
fuce with Howard.
- *“*How go things with you?” I said }
a‘ter mutual greetings had been ex
; changed. Have you married Miss l
Grosvenor yet 2”
i “No,” he replied; *“I have had i
no Inek whatever in that quarter. She
is now engaged to French Jobnny.
Her father is pretty well off now, The
t railway was extended through s land
and he made shekels over the trans
action. They are staying in town at
present. You had better eall.” |
“Will yon come with me?”
“No thanks. I don’t look well as
the rejected snitor. But here is their
address and mine.”
I ecalled upon Grosvenor in dune
course and was introdueed to his
[ danghter’s fiat'xco, one Mr. Duabois,
Ilis face seemed familiar to me, and
i alter some moments’ thonght it barst
npon me that he was tue dream mur
f derer of two years bofore. There was
aot u donbt about It, and I could have
sworn to Lim in the witness-box. He
wus # man of wealth, bad lived many
years in Eogland and was thought to
be an exeelient mateh. He was by no
means voung, but had a polished and
T agrecable manner, with a very rapid
and sharp mode of speuking, which
was not, I thought, wholly due to his
t Freneh nationality.
Though I attempted to dismiss my
; prejudice, he guve me the impression
that there was something underhand
i about him. He also seemed to think
himself suspeeted, for I eaught him
| watching me furtively as I was talking
; to Mr. Grosveuor.
I walked home in great perplexity.
lere was my dream exactly repro
dueed, and 1 bhad no possible doubt as
- to the identity of the persons con
, cerned. Yet I eould not tell Mr.
Grosvenor the story without ineurring
l his ridicule if not his anger, and prob
&bl - getting into bad odor with his
i future son-iu-law, though for that cou
tinzeney I eared very little,
; At length I resolved to Impart the
“whole matter to Howard, He had
founnd permanent employment in Lou
don, and could remain on the wateh,
whereas [ was obliged to return to In
dinin a few weeks. Tae msirriage
was not to take plaee for at least six
months, This wounld give him time
to examine Dubois’ antecedeuts.
Howard was much surprised at my
‘ story, and declared that he thonght
Dubois to be a scoundrel from the
tirst. This was likely enough in a re
- jected suitor, but at the same time his
| instinets corresponded with mine, and
! at his earnest request I determined to
t tell the whole to Mr. Grosvenor.
Howard undertook to keep striet
wateh on Dubois’ movements and to
let me hear of any new developments
the case might present,
The next day I ecalled upon Mr.
Grosvenor, aud requesiing a private
interview, put the whole matter be
fore him.
‘“'his is very extraordinary,” he
‘ said, when I had finiched. *“‘Curious
ly enough, the young couple are to
| live at Cullingham and occupy that
very room when the honeymoon is
over. But what can I do? His ante
cedents seem unquestionable. He is
the son of a French count, his parents
are dead, and he has dropped his title,
' I have verified all the statements he
i has made, and, though Ido not pro
l fess to like the man, I really have
| nothing against him, and my daughter
is devoted to LHim. "
““Weil,” I returned, *“‘perhaps it is
no affair of mine. 1 though I ought
to tell you what I saw before I re
turued to India. At the same time I
hope that you understand my motives
are wholly disinterested.”
“I owe you many thanks for per
forming what might be thought a
purely imaginary duty and an un
pleasant one as well. Have you told
anyone else?”
““No one but Howard.”
““Then I will make fresh ingnires.
I do not anticipate any result, but it
is as well to be sure. »
His daughter came in at that mo
ment, and it was distressing to see the
wistful look in his eyes as he lifted
her hand for a moment and gazed into
her face.
Six months later, whken I was stay
ing at Simla, I received a letter from
Howard. He wrote:
““We have settled Dubois’s hash.
He will not be seen any more. I put
on a private detective, who fonnd out
that Dubois had been kept 1n =
French asylum for some years as a
homicidal maniac. The hypnotic
school of physicians professed to have
cured him, and I think had really
done so for a time, but he was getting
strange in his manner, and when
asked about the asylum, though the
question was put in the most delicate
way be flew at Grosvenor like a tiger
and attempted to strangie him. Help
was fortunateiy at hand, and he was
put under lock and key. We cannot
account for yvour dream by any theory.
Dubois had never even seen Culling
ham. I can only suppose it was
meant as & warning,and, in fact it has
been the means of avoiding what
might have been an awful tragedy,
and of bringing abonut, T hope, what
will be the greatest happiness of my
life.”—Good Company.
Progress in Modern Surgery.
The death of the eminent bacteriol
ogist, Louis Pasteur, has spread
abroad much information regarding
his patient and exhaustive researches
into silk worm and vine diseases and
into bydrophobia. There is aiso a
vague general idea of his influence
upon modern sargery and medicine.
His removal forms a very fitting reason
for a brief survey in the last half cen
tury and of Pastenr’s inflanence uvon
it. This general truth is beyond dis
pute: During the Ilast fiflty years
operations have lost nearly all their
terrors and dangers, and within
twentyv-five vears surgery has been
practicilly revolutionized. A few
leading data will make this clear.
In 1842 Dr. Morton, a dentist, al
ministered ether for the first time in
ti:e Massachusetts General Hospital,
while Dr. Warren performed a small
operation,
In 1847 Sir James Simpson com
municated to the Medico-Chirurgical
Society of Edinburgh his discovery of
the value of chloroform in producing
insensibility during an operation.
Between 1857 and 1855 Pasteur pub
lished his essay on the causes of pu
trefaction and fermentation. He es
tablished the fact beyond peradven
ture that these processes were due to
micro-organisms.
The first to grasp the possibilities of
Pasteur’s discoveries was Sir Joseph
Lister. He rocognized at once the
influence of germsupon wounded sur
faces and became the founder of anti
saptic surgery or Listeri: m.
Another advance was made in 1882
by Robert Koch who demonstrated
the innocenous quality of pure air and
the fact that none of the mierobes in
the air would multiply unless pro
vided with the proper soil.
Upon the definite knowledge thus
gained is based the most modern sys
tem of surgery, the aseptic, an ideal
method in comparison of those for
merly in vogue.—Detroit Free Press.
A Spider Which Booms.
Rumors that a spider in Central
Australia makes a booming mnoise at
night have been proved to be well
founded by B. Spencer, who writes to
Nature that the creature was, with the
aid of the natives, easily captured. It
forms a tubalar burrow, abont an
inch in diameter and two feet deep,
being a trap-door spider. At first the
noise was uttributed to a qnail, but
after keeping a dozen ineaptivity one,
on being irritated with a siraw, rose
on her hind legs and made alow
whistling noise, movingalternately her
paips up and down on the chelicerse
as she did so, While doing this she
would make short, angry darts at the
straw. The noise is made by an ovai
shaped, comb-like structure on the
basal joint of the palp, and so placed
that when the palp is moved up and
down 1t rubs against a special part of
the chelicera, which is provided with
several rows of strong, sharp spines.
The sound thus produced can be heard
when the spider 18 in a box in a quiet
room, at a distance of at least six or
eight feet. A very similar organ was
found in an Indian trap door spider,
and it illusirated the attitnde of the
Australian spider.—New York Inde
peudent. :
A Millionaire’s Humble Beginning.
Mr. Rothschild, a very wealthy
mode maker, on Fourteenth street,
New York City, who is the owner of
the Majestic Hotel, which cost $3,000,
000, it is said, came to this country
absolutely penniless, a great many
yvears ago. It is related that when he
was about to land from the sailing
ship the captain grve him a dollar out
of consideration for his apparently
complete necessity. -—Cincinnati En
quirer.
The latest report from the seal
ixlands indicate that the North Amer
ican Commercial Company has taken
about 15,000 ekins, the maximum
limit imposcd during the season clos.-d
Augnst Ist.
'CRIPPLE MAKER.
The Unique Employment of &
Medical Imposter.
Fitting Out Beggars With Spu-
rious Afflictions.
James Edgerton, M. D., better
known in hobo circles as ‘‘Doc” or
‘“‘Hopsy,” is one of the unique impos
tors in the tramp army, says the New
York World. He arrived in New
York the other day on his way to At.
lanta, where he expects to reap a rich
harvest from the swarms of beggars
attracted by the Exposition,
Fun has been made of blind beggars
who can see, deaf beggars who can
talk, and their frequent changes of
deformities. *‘‘Doc” Edgerton goes
one better. He is afflicted differently
every day of the weck. He claims
that there are thirty-two manners of
crippling. With half an hour’s prep
ation he can appear as the wictim of
any one of them. In this way he
makes not only enough money to sup
ply his wants, but to have a nice bank
account,
During the Columbian Exposition
a World reporter made ‘“‘Hopsy’s” ac
quaintance. He is a native of France
but left that country when such a lit
tle shaver that his first recollections
are of London school life. Later he
studied medicine anud took his degrees
but gave up ideas of practice to come
to this country, where he believed
fortunes were made in & day. TFuiling
to find work, he sought patients.
Even these were scarce, until he
conceived the idea of doctoring
tramps. He soon fonnd the right
kind of subjeet and artisticaliy band
aged his lacerated secalp. He then
proposed that the tramp should beg,
using his bandaged head to, excite
sympathy, and should divide receipts
at the end of the day. The plan was
carried out, and the doctor’s share.
amounted to a little over $7. This
led him to extend the system. Soon
he had a small army of beggars dis
playing splints and bandiges and
reaping harvests of coin. It was not
necessary that there should be any
real injuries. A broken arm or leg or
rib is easily simulated when the prop
er bandages are applied, and as much
money was reaped from a perfectly
sound member as from the most hor
rible mutilation.
The doector could not wateh all of
his patients, and most of them de
camped, bandages and all, withont
payving for his services. Wherever he
went he continued his unique line of
work and soon became known to a
vast army of tramps and beggars. Few
of his patients were honest enough to
divide evenly, and to guard against
their stealings he arranged a ptice
list of the afllictions he could imitate.
Here it is: broken arm, $2; broken
leg, $3; sprair(e(i shoulder, $1.50;
sprained wrist, 75 cents; broken ribs,
$2; sprained ankle, $1; paralysis, $5;
blindness, $3; inflammatorv rheuma
tism, $3 ; bandaging, 50 cents,
Most interesting of all is the
method of simulating paralysis. This
is done by a hydrodermic injection.
The name of the drug used Edgerton
will not tell. The eff ¢t is startiing.
The injection is usually made in one
or both arms. They quickly become
lifeless, and control over the muscles
is lost. There is no pain. The skin
loses color and become slightly shriv
clled. The nails become blnish and
scemingly dead. These symptoms
sometimes last forty-eight hours, al
though thirty-six hours is generaily
the limit. Edgerton claims that fake
paraiyties sometimes often make $8 or
$lO in a day.
Rheumatism and inflammatory di
seascs are caused in as easy a way, a
different drug being used. Blindness
1s caused by eye drops which give to
the cornea and iris the peecnliarly
glassy look of a sightless eye. A
broken arm or ieg is put up in splints
and roller bandage in the most artistic
fashion. The splints are redeemable
at 25 ceunts each.
The doctor is an excellent actor,
and makes up with equal success as a
working man thrown out of employ
ment by his aflliction, or as a palsied
outcast, half dead from exposure and
old age,
Fresh wounds he has long known
how to simulate, and fake poisoning
is no uncomwon trick when the po
lice are at a distance. The making of
scars or badly healed wounds was
snggested by a newspaper extract from
“Sherlock Hoimes. He is not yet per
fect in this new branch of his now
famons art.
Edgerton’s outfit,by means of which
he works so many changes, is not ex
tensive. A ‘‘gun,” or hypdodermie
syringe, with vials of half a dozen
drugs, he has constantly with him, be
sides a bandage or two and safety pins.
Splints and a much ecberished spinal
jacket are kept hidden in the room
which chances to be his home.
American Diamonds,
Diamonds have been found oceasion
ally at different places in the United
Stated, but never in sufficient quanti
ties to render systematic mining profit
abie. The largest authenticated dia
mond ever found in this country was
picked up by a laborer engaged in
grading the streetsof Manchester, Va.
Its original weight was about twenty
four carats,aud after cutting, a twelve
carat stone resulted. On this stone,
called by Capt. Dewey, its owner, the
Oninoor, John Morrissey once loaned
$6,000, but Mr. Kunz, the diamond
expert appraised its value at less than
a thousand dollars, asit is poorly
colored and imperfect.
Next to this stone comes a sixteen
carat diamond found in 1884 at Wan
kesha, Wis, A stone over four carats
came froa Drsartville, N, C., in
1886, and ene weighing just a littie
less was found in Daue county, Wis,,
in 1893. In Georgia and Norih Caro
lina, itacolumite or flexible sandstone
is found. This stone, so elastic thst
a slab of it can readily he beut into a
curve by the fingers, is found asso
ciated with diamonds in Brazil, and
this fact led to a search for the gems
in these southern states. Quite a num
ber of small stones were consequently
found there, mostly in the gold wash
ings of Hall County, Ga.
In California’s gold diggings, dia
monds have also been fouud in some
numbers. About seventy stones have
been cbtained from one loecality at
Cherokee Flat, the largest weighing
about 2 1-2 carats, and the colors
varying from rose through various
shades of yellow to pure white. The
largest price ever paid far a California
diamond in the rough was some £6OO.
There are twenty diamond-cutting es
tablishments now in this country,
handling during each year about $l,
250,000 worth of stones.—New York
World. -
Hazing Abroad.
I have known many attempts at
hazing to be frustrated by *boldness
on the part of the victim. I remem
ber when Gen. John C. Pemberton
went to West Point they staried to
make a victim of him, and he turned
in and thrashed three or four of the
erew so quickly that it made the heads
of the others swim. Woolwich, the
grent artillery school of England,
wus famous for its severe ordeals. A
Weliington Coilege boy of the name
of Winthrop, a giant, active usnd
brave, was pounced upou by the haz
ing gang as soon as he entered Wool
wich. Squaring himself up in a cor
ner, he said:
“I understand what you intend do
ing with me, and I do not intend hav
ing it. The first man who touches me
wiil go hospital for six months,”
They made a rush for him, and the
foremost man of them canght a
straight, fullarm blow in the chest.
He fell to the floor insensible, with
his breastbone erushed in. They did
take him to hospipal, and he did re
main there six months. That hap
pened in 1882. There has not beea a
case of hazing at Woolwich sinee. The
strangest thing about it was that noth
ing was done with Winthrop by the
authorities. The commandant at the
time was Sir Lionell Simmons, K. C,
B. Winthrop is, I believe, a lienten
ant colonel now. —New York Press.
Carelful With Tea.
As a rule it is only amoug the pros
perous that one finds the pet mean
ness, The poor have not time to de
velop fads of any kind; they never
bave much of anything, but they give
of their little in a way that puts their
richer neighbors to the biush.
The most amusing instance I ean re
cdfl of the cffect of a suddenly ae
quired fortune npon a pet meanness is
that told by an English author about
an old woman 1n au almshouse, who
came into a million by a Chancery de
cision. She bought everythihg that
mouey could bny silks, velvets, laces,
furs, estates, carriages, horses, soi
disant friends even. She threw away
ber bank notes upon everything
imaginable, in a kiad of frenzy of
possession. But when it came to
tea, she suffered, she debated, she
chaffed, but she never could make up
her mind to buy and pay for at any
one time more than a “‘qunarter of a
pound of good black Bohea.” She
wonld have felt beggared by a pound
of tea at any price; it had always been
so precious to her that she had lost all
seuse of its intrinsic value. Perhaps
it represented to some extent the
bright unattainable, without which
life has no zest.
A Queer Pledge,
A pawubroker meets with many cu
rious experiences in business, aod the
solitary West Philadelphia mouey
lender 1s no exception to the rule. On
Saturday a woman entered the office
with a basket, wineh was found to
contain sixteen pint and twenty-three
half-pint bottles of whiskey, which
she wished to pawn. She said that
husband nsed to keep a ““speak easy,”
but on tinding that his place was sus
pected, had closed business, and In
stead of selling off his stock to éus
tomers had started to drink himself to
death. The woman objected to this,
aud in order to place temptation out
of his way, she had decided to pawn
all that she could get out of the
house. She was much disappointed
when informed that she would hLave
to take her stock to a bonded ware
house or police station, if she wanted
to keep her husband sober.—Ciunciu
nati Post.
Suspicion Confirmed.
One of the principal men in the
Bureau of Printing and Engraving
had a somewhat peculiar experience
in New York recentiy.
He had ocecasion to visit the metrop
olis on business, and after a stay of
several days at oue of the chief hotels
he called for his bill. When it was
given him he tendered im pay
ment a brand new $2O silver certifi
cate. The clerk looked at ilt aud
then passed it back.
““What's the matter?” said the «fii
cial.
“I ean’t take that,” replied the
clerk. “I don’t think it’s good.”
“Not good!” exclaimed the official.
“Not good. I made it mysell.™
“Yes,” said the eclerk, *“so I
thought.”’—Washington Post.
A NMistake,
“It’s a great mistake,” said Bobbie
Tompkins, “‘to say that we Americans
are born free.”
“Why, Bobbie ?”
“Look at that baby of ours. Was
he born free ? I gness not. He ain’t
allowed to do nothin’ he wants ter.”
—Harper's Bound Table.
AN ANIMAL PEST.
Ravages of the Mongoose on the
Island of Jamaica.
Even Babes Have Fallen Prey to
Its Ferocity.
The recent attempt of a gentleman
at Newport to transplant to America
several species of animals from the
tropics, including the mongoose, calls
to mind, says the New York Herald,
the efforts being made by Jamaicans
to rid themselves of these pests. The
pair destined for Newport happily
died before reaching there, and the
introduction of these destructive
creatures has been deferred, perhaps
for all time.
The mongoose is not a native of Ja
maica, but was imported from the
East Indies for the purpose of ridding
this fair member of the Antilles of the
sugar rat, waich devastated whole
fields of growing came. This move
ment was inaugurated about the vear
1878 by the representative from the
Parish of Clarendon, who iuntrodnced
1n the Legislative Council a resolution
anthorizing the introduction of the
mongoose. Subsequently this legisla
tor personally secured several pairs of
them and turned the sirangers loose,
The sugar rat, whos> natural en
emy is the mongoose, is black and
about the size of the ordinary wharf
rat, known in New York. They gnaw
the stalk of the sugar cane within a
few inches of the ground, until weak
ened, the stalk falls, This frightens
them and the rats seek shelter in
flight. Instead of returning to the
failen stalk, upon which they conld
feast, they attack other growing cane,
thus devastating the whole field. rhe
loss resulting to the planters each
vear from this enemy ran into thou
sanids of dollars.
It did not require many vears for
the mongoose to rid the lisland of
sugar rats. They bred rapidly and
within a short time were plentiful in
all parts of Jamaica. When the rats
became scarce they attacked the
snakes, and they ocenpy the position
to Jamaica that St. Patrick does to
Ireland in regard to reptiless. No
matter how venomous the snake, the
mongoose attacked it, and in nearly
every case came off vietorious.
The rats and snakes disposcd of,
the mongoose commenced devouring
everyvthing living that crossed his
path. The eggs and young of all the
game birds, such as guail and wild
p geons, became his preyv. Young
and even full grown domestic chickens
suffered not only in the raral distriets
but even within the ecity limits of
places like Kingston, the capital of
the island.
Their depredations have been so
great that duaring the past few vears
they have materially decreased the
number of “John erows” (turkey buz
zards), the public scavengers of the
tropics. They have been known to
Kill and suck the blood of young
goats, calves, pigs and other small
animals, and not « few ehildren of the
natives have likewise met their death
at the jaws of this pest.
About eight yvears ago the mongoose
had become such a menace to the wel
fare of the island that the question
came up in the Legislative Couucil,
“How can we get rid of the mon
goose?” Each succeeding year the
question has become more pertinent
und harder to solve. The planiers
and natives are setting traps for them
and doing everything possible to
diminish their numbers, buat still ithey
continue to mulitiply.
Wood Engraving a Leost Occcupaiion,
While walking down Park row =
few days ago a shabby little man,with
stooped shoulders, asked me in a
pleading voice:
“Will you give me a few pennies,
sir?”
I will, if vou ecan give a good
reason for begging,” I answered.
““That is easily done, sir,” said the
shabby little man, mournfully. *You
see I have an art that has left me. I
have tried again and again to get
work at it, and there is no work to be
got. 1t has become one of the lost
occupations.”
““A lost occupation! What ecan
it be?”
“Wood engraving,” he answered
proudiy. *“‘l was brought up to it
from boykood, aud know no other
way of making a livinz. Hence |am
obliged to beg. The various methods
of reproducing by photograghy have
driven us wood engravers out of the
business. Ten or fifteen yearsago I
made a good living, but now I am un
able to earn a doliar.””—New York
News, :
Popular Christian Names,
An account has Dbeen taken in
Austria-Hungary of the Christian
names of persons in the Empire. The
name of Franecis heads the list with
1,874,000 ; then come 1,384,000 who
rejoice in the name of John; then
Joseph, which numbers 1,085,000;
Leopold has 584,000 admirers, and
Wenceslaus 441,000, Of the Christian
nrutes of women, Anna rules supreme
1 Austria withh nearly 2,000,000 ; then
comes Marie with 1,652,000, and
Edznbeth has place with 1,260,000
admirers.,
A Hunter in {lard Lucki.
Hunter—Did rou see o rabbit ran
by here?
Boy—Yep,
Hunter—How long ago?
Boy—lt’ll be three years nex’ Christ
mas. Trath.
An electric railway inJapan between
Tokio and Yokohama is proposed.
The distance is eighteen miles and the
cost will be about 81, 006,000,
-~ —_
FOR THE HOUSEWIFE.
SCARFS AND T
A dainty scarf for the sideboard
may be made of a piece of linen lawn
measuring one and three-quarters, or
two yards in length, by fifteen to
eighteen inches in width, Hewmstitch
the edge one inch and a half in depth,
and an inch from the hemstitching,
embroider a design of sweet peas in
the natural size and colors of pink
and white Asiatic filo floss.
Work the flowers in long and short
stitch and the stems and tendrils in
stem stiteh with gray green Asiatie
filo. This scarf will be found very
satisfactory p‘hoed upon a highly pol
ished surface, but is not a suitable
cover for a coarse piece of furnitnre.
A scarf the same size as this may be
satisfactorily worked with a design of
carnations etched with black Asiatie
filo. Represent the blossoms in groups
of two or three in a place with crossed
stems or as if they had been dropped
on.
A heavier linen searf may be em
broidered with vellow chrysanthe
mums or even with ‘“‘black-eved-Su
sans.” Work the petals with Roman
floss in satin stiteh, and the centre
with dark brown or black Asiatic rope
silk in French knot stitch. —Woman
kind.
THE USES OF ENAMEL PAINT.
Enamel paiut offers one meauns of
improving common f{urniture, says
The Art Amateur; but the mistake is
often made of choosing very light or
very bright colors. Delicate tints ol
cream or pale violet bring out the
lack of design in the article itself.
They require a certain element of
form not to be expected of machinery.
The most servicenble tints are dark
brown, brownish red and black. 'l'{e
Jight tints are fashionabie just now,
but they shounld not count with sen
sible people. If there is a good deal
of warm color (as there generally is)
in wail paper, carpet and hangings,
the fnurniture may very weil be painted
blaek or dark olive. In some cases a
rather deep-toned gray will look very
weli, if yellowish aud reddisi brown
predominate in the textiles #nd wall
paver. If the room is already too eold
the paint should be brown or brownish
red. Itis bardly necessary to insist
on the superiority of enamel over or
dinary paint. It is ever so much
neater, both to the eye and use. It
wears much better and ean be more
casily eleaned. Another reason for
using the darker shades instead of the
lighter 1s that they lend themselves to
a greater variety of simple decora
tion. White painted furniture, if
decorated at ail, must be decorated
by painting ; and as light and bright
colors must be used, a considerabie
dezree of skill is requisite, for every
blemish will show., The darker colors
may receive rough steneiling, rough
inlay of ivory and pearl, may be pat
terned with brass and copper nails,
and may receive many sorts of all
over ornament not specially designed
for them, and which almost invariably
have a bad eflect when arbitrarily ent
off by a hight ecolor.—Milwaukee
Journal.
POSSIBILITIES OF ONIONS.
Baked Onions—Dßoil in salted water
until almost tender. Lift out and lay
in a baking paig: salt and pepper to
suit the palate, and on each put « bit
of butter. Bake ina hot oven 15 te
20 minutes. When tender and brown
serve on a Lot dish,
Stufled Onions. —Peel medinm-sized
onions and punch ont the hearts
Mince a little beef or mutton, parsiey
and bread erumbs, Beat with an egg,
salt and pepper. Stufl the onions
with this, and lay in a bakiag dish
with a little gravy. Bake until the
omions are tender, and serve very hot.
Baste the onions frequently to pre
vent burning.
Glazed Onious-—Butter a saucepan
and lay in some onions, as nearly of a
size as possible. Pour in meat stock,
gravy or water to mnearly cover the
onions, and two lumps of sugar. Becil
briskly untii the liquid is reduced ohe
half, then draw to the back of the
stove and allow it to simmer slowly
until the gravy is quite thick. Xaa
asalt and pepper.
Onion Cream Soup.—Slice four
onions very thin, fry to a pale brown
color in a tablespoonful of butter,
add three tablespoons flour and three
pints milk, a little salt and. pépper,
half teaspoonfal sugar and a blade of
mace. Cook slowly one bhour and
strain over two eggs beaten up light-
Iy with a cup of cream. Do not heat
after adding the eggs or it will curdlie.
Serve with crontons of bread. —Amer
ican Agrienltarist,
Onion Sance.—This is nice to serve
with warmed-over meats, Slice aund
fry three or foar onions in a large
spoonfui of butter, stirricg frequent
ly so they will not burn, When
niceiv browned add a large spoonfal
of flour and a pint of gravy of stock.
Siromer gently for a few moments,
and salt and pepper and strain, It
more flavoring is liked add a table
spooninl of mushroom ketchup on a
little pepper sauce.
Ounion Tart —Peel and slice the
onions fthiuly. Line a dish with
pastry, place a layer of onions 1n the
bottom, sprinkle over pepper, salt, a
little flour, then more onions, then
salt and penper, until the dish is full.
Pour over some sweet cream or butter
and milk and cover with pastry; bake
until the onions are tender. This isa
deliciqm accompaniment to baked or
boiled meats. Another method is to
use alternate layers of sliced onions
and potatoes, both raw, season with
salt, pepper, butter, and pour over a
little milk or water and bake until
done. No pastry is nsed in the latter
recipe. Both should be served very
bhot.
Priscilia.
Priscilla hath come back to town -
A little bandit queen,
Her cheek hath robbed the berry’s hrown
Her eye the dewdrop's sheen.
Upon her lips their brightly glows
The popoy's crimson hue,
With Autumn musie in her toes
She charms the avenue.
Alas! how wildly hearts will beat
That late kept slowest time;
Alas! how many a snowy sheet
Will meet its fate in rhym»!
Laugh, Cugid laugh, with saucy gise
At all the pangs in store,
But never point thy dart at me—
My heart was hers before.
Samuel Minturn Peck iu Life.
HUMOROUS.
Reduced cirenmstunces are the kind
that everlastingly alter cases
He—Do yon believe in signs? She
—*“Well, I should think I did—in
oyster saloon ones,
“This is tough luck,” said the thief,
when he sampled the boarding-l Louse
steak he had just stolen.
City Child (as she watches the cattle
enjoying their eud)—Say, mister, do
you have to buy gam for all them
cows to chew? .
Prisoner—l want to get out of here
bad. Jailer—That is the way you
came in. What we want is for you to
get out of here good.”
How to make the new dress: Take
the material for two skirts and make
the sleeves; then take the material for
one sleeve and make the skirt.
She—Women are the salad of life—
at onee a boon and a blessing. He—
In one way they're like salad—they
take so much time in their dressing.
Mrs. Sweet—Do ypu find it eco
nomical to do your own eooking? Mrs.
Burnem—Oh, yes; my husband
doesn’t eat half as much as when we
had a cook!
It gives a man such a mortifying
shock to meet one more intelligent
than Limself, that most of us give
thanks daily that we have not yet met
that ver-oun.
The man with a vivid imagination
may sit down in his bath tub and im
agine himself among the foaming
breakers and finally find himself
washed ashore.
Goodfello—Cheer up, my boy! Re
member the sun shines brightly after
every storm. Barker—Yes, bat that
only shows people how shabby and
beglraggled the storm has left one.
““Hullo Bronson—howdy? What's
this T hear abokt you and Perley?”
““Ob, nothing much. He called me a
donkey at the club, that's all. |
treated him accordingly.” *‘lndeed?”
“Yes; I brayed and gave him a kick
he’ll never forget.
He—What wounld vou say, darling,
if I should tell you that you never can
be mine?
She—ll shonld say, pet, that I've got
a nice bundle of your letters tha!
would help to make it expeunsive to
vou.
“On, ves,” rejoined the Girafle,
blushing at the compliment, “*I know
I have a great deal of taste, I am
built that way, dou’t you know?
Yes.” She explained, in Iliustration,
that it took the ice eream soda she was
eating something like 25 seconds to
reach it destination, and her relish
was consequently indeed extensive,
—_———— eP o ——
Interesting Facts About Lemons,
The greatest consumption of lemons
oceurs during the summer, but they
are such an mportant adjunet to cul
inary successes that there is brisk de
mand or them the vear ronnd. Scvere
storms in Sicily during the winter
lessened the crop materially for the
summer scason, and prices were con
sequently higher. What brokers have
lost in the orange trade secms to have
been made up on lemons. No other
fruit is more largely imported except
the banaun.
The fruit is a tonie, is invigorating,
aliays nausea and prevents malaria,
A half a lemon taken before breakfast
daily is prescribed for persons of rhen
matic or dropsical tendencies. The
oil of lemon is used extensively in
perfames, and many Jdainty flavorings
are made with lemon extract as one of
the ingredients of the componnd,
Good lemounade is one of the best per
fect drinks ever devised. The Jonr
nal of Hygiene gives the foilowing re
cipe: “‘For a quari, take the juice of
three lemons, using the rind of one of
them. Carefully peal the riud pretty
thin, gettiug just the yellow outside;
ent this into pieces and put with the
juice and two ounees of powdered su
gar into a gaart jar with a cover,
When the water is just boiling, pour
it over the lemons aund sugar, cover at
onees aud let it get coid. This is per
feet lemonade.
The acreage of lemons in the United
States is smnall at preseat and chiefly
confined to some sections of Califoruia
Below the frost line in Florida where
there is high, dry, sandy loam, lemon
cenlture is also attended with saccess,
Charms of Song.,
*“You can trust a man who sings at
his work,” said the cheery ecitizen.
“Yes,” replied Sinnicker; 1 wish
some one would persuade the man
who works around my woodpile two
or three nights & week to sing loud
enough for me to bear him.—Wash
ington Star.
- e P -
In Atlanta.
““You are not the blind man who
usually stands on this corner,” said
the benevolent citizen.
“I know it,” replied the beggar.
“The real blind man has gone to the
exposition an’ is takin’ in the sights
on the Midway.—Atlanta Constitu
tion.
London pawn brokers average
twenty-five per ceut interest on tha
money borrowed. :